The San Francisco 49ers are slowly but surely finalizing their roster prior to the season starting. Their wide receiver corps have taken a few hits since training camp began, forcing the team to make a few moves. Announced on Tuesday, Michael Crabtree and Mario Manningham were placed on the physically unable to perform list, meaning they will miss at least six weeks of the season.
Both Crabtree and Manningham were going to play key roles in the pass game in 2013. Crabtree went out early in organized team activities with a torn Achilles tendon. Manningham is still rehabbing a torn ACL and PCL suffered last season. Placing both on the PUP list can give fans hope that the 49ers expect both players to return at some point in the season, which could mean a strong finish into the playoffs.
So who will need to step up in their place? Anquan Boldin is already penciled in as the No. 1 guy. Coming over from the Baltimore Ravens, the transaction could turn out to be the best move the 49ers made all offseason. Vernon Davis will also pick up a heavy amount of the slack. The tight end has been working out with the wide receivers in the wake of the injuries. His versatility will be clutch for San Francisco. Kyle Williams will lineup next to Boldin, but the team needs depth.
After those two, there are a slew of mid-level players that will either make it or break it in these final days before the season starts. Jon Baldwin is expected to start making progress early. The 49ers traded AJ Jenkins for the second round draft choice that was a disappointment in Kansas City. Jim Harbaugh has already been complimentary of the young receiver.
"He's had a nice command of the offense," Harbaugh said, via the team website. "The very short time that he's been here, he has shown that he absorbed it real quick and (we) put him in some situations where he hadn't practiced. Some of the things he did there tonight showed that he was taking mental reps... He pays attention and has real good physical ability. Everybody likes him. He's fit in real well."
After Baldwin, comes rookie Quinton Patton. The wide receiver played for the first time in the third preseason game and did well in his limited time. If Patton can pick things up quickly and grab hold of the offense, he will be an option to line up in the slot next to Boldin.
Austin Collie and Lavelle Hawkins are the lone veterans that are on the bubble. Both players signed late into training camp and have not added too much to the offense. If Patton and Baldwin prove capable, both veterans are likely to get released before the 53-man roster is finalized.
San Francisco is putting faith in the young guns to contribute early in the season. Both Crabtree and Manningham will be back at some point, but until then it is next-man-up time.
